Finishing welt and filler strip



D 24, 1940. G. G, BARR 2,226,354

FINISHING WELT AND FILLER STRIP Filed Oct. 5, 1938 Patented Dec. 24,1940 G rlen G. Barr, UnionCity, Ind., assignor to Back- .stay WeltCompany, Union City, Ind., a corporaltion of Indiana.

' lApplication .October 5, 1938, Serial No..233,443

y 9 Claims;

.My invention relates to iwelts, gimps, bindings and similar finishingstrips -and the like, and more particularly to lthose types whichinclude a filler strip, `and to the-filler lstrip per se. United StatesLetters- Patent No. 1,719,729,

issued July 2, `i929, lto -Robert rC. Schemmel, discloses a nishing weltof the .blind nail type, having a base portion adapted to be nailed -toa support, like the bodyoraseat of an automobile or the framework of apiece of upholstered furniture, and having a flapportion hinged to thebase and adapted to be folded down upon the base to cover and conceal`the nail heads. In that construction a filler strip .is ycommon to theflap and base, crossing-the hinge .line along which the flap and basemeet. lThe ller strip contains a plurality-of stiffening elements in theform of transverse lengthsfof pliable wire which become bent at thehinge line ywhen the iiap is folded down on the base so that. -the stripserves to maintain the flap in substantial contact with. the base. J

Since the introduction vof 4.the Schemmel construction various:modifications in the'iiller strip have been madein an effort toovercome certain disadvantages which were found .to be inherent in itand incidental to its use. Chief among these disadvantages `is v.theundesirable stiffness and resistance lto bending introducedby thefillerstrip into welts and the like which, without the strip, would be quiteflexible. It is of course obvious that the .thickness of `the finishingstrip is rather substantially increased by the addition of the fillerstrip; indeed, in many cases the filler 35 strip is added in order togive the devicemore body. While this augmented thickness and bulkinessdoes not materially ,interfere With smooth and neat bending of `the weltout of the plane of its base, it does result in very noticeable kinks 40and puckers when the welt is disposed about a curve in the plane of itsbase, particularly if that curve be of comparatively short radius. Ittherefore, Well recognized in the trade that finishing strips and thelike having fillerstrips are hard to bend neatly and smoothly in lateralcurves, so that greater skill and more time are required for theirinstallation, and this consideration has with some users outweighed theadmitted advantages of ller strip welts and appreciably lessened thedemand for them.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel llerstrip construction which will retain the advantages of the bestpriorartfiller strips and eliminate their resistance to side- (55` wise oredgewise bending, their tendency to kink lll or pucker when so bent, andtheir introductioncf kinking, puckering, bunching andthe like in theouter covering fabric of a 'laterally bent Welt or analogous device.

A further object is to provide a welt or other 5 nishing strip havingthe novel filler combined in a new relationship with the covering fabricso that the result is a device which will easily and neatly negotiateshort lateral curves and yet have the body, Weight and durability of theprior art 10 ller strip welts and the like and all their otheradvantages.

These results are obtained by incorporating in the filler strip a noveltype of pinking, an illustrated embodiment of which is shown on theaccompanying drawing and will now be explained.

In the drawing, which forms part of this application for Letters Patentand in which the same reference numeral is used to designatecorresponding parts inthe several views,

Figure 1 is a plan View of a length of ller strip before being processedin accordance with my invention;

i Fig. 2 is a similar view of a iiller strip after being slitted orpinkedxas proposed by the invention;

Fig. 3 is a view of a completed filler strip folded longitudinally onitself as in an installed finishing welt or the like and disposed inreverse curves to illustrate the .action of the pinked zone; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view, with one end in cross section, of afinishing Welt, showing the filler strip in place.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown in Fig. 1 a filler strip .offamiliar type. It may comprise a Woven structure in which .the threadsor filaments l are transverse of the strip, or at least have atransverse component, and the threads or filaments 2 run lengthwise ofthe strip, 40 or at least have a lengthwise component. The strip shownis of square or basket Weave; in some cases these strips are bias Woven.The invention is applicable to both types of fabric. Preferably,although not necessarily, the transverse filaments, or at least some ofthem, are of soft, pliable wire, either separate sections as shown, or asingle length convoluted back and forth. This Wire imparts `stiffness tothe fabric and to the finishing strip in which it becomes incorporated,and it serves to hold the flap portion ofthe welt up olf the base, ordown in engagement with it, Wherever it may be positioned vduring theinstalling operation, all in a well understood manner.

The longitudinal filaments or threads 2 may also be made wholly or inpart of wire, in which case the woven material is a wire cloth. Thesethreads, however, may Well be non-metallic, such as cotton, since theirprincipal and practically exclusive function is merely to hold thetransverse threads together. Various metals and alloys may be used inmaking the wire, both lengthwise and crosswise, and it may be processedin different ways to havediierent bending characteristics.

The combination of lengthwise and transverse threads or filaments maycomprise the whole of the fabric, or, as shown in Fig. 1, the fabric mayinclude a coating 3 of latex, rubber, asphaltum or of various compoundsof these and other like materials. The coating may completely cover thefilaments and fill the interstices between them as shown in Fig. 1, orit may coat the filaments only, leaving openings between the wires. Insome cases the coating will take the form of a sheet of cloth, paper orthe like cemented to one or `both sides of the woven fabric.

It will be apparent that the fabric strip shown in Fig. 1, whichever ofthe alternative modifications explained hereinabove be adopted, will beresistant to edgewise curving, i. e., bending in the direction indicatedby either of the arrows 4 in Fig. 1. As has been indicated, a principalobject of this invention is to improve the ability of the filler stripof Fig. 1 to bend around curves of relatively short radius in thedirections shown by these arrows.

This is accomplished by cutting the strip, as shown in Fig. 2, toprovide the slits or pinking 5. It will be observed that these slits areformed in the central zone 6 only of the filler strip, the two marginalzones 'l being left unslitted, so that each longitudinal edge 8 isunbroken. In the square woven fabric selected to illustrate theinvention, therefore, it is only the longitudinal filaments that arebroken, the transverse filaments remaining unbroken and unimpaired instrength. If the weave be bias, the slitting will be directlytransverse, exactly as shown, but some of the longitudinal threads orfilaments will be out. It may be stated that in such case the threads orfilaments having a longitudinal component are cut. In either case theside margins 'l of the filler strip remain uncut and of unimpairedstrength, while it is only the central zone 6 which is weakened by cuts.It results that the slitted strip is easily handled because thefilaments do not readily separate, being kept intact and in place by theunweakened side margins 1.

In accordance with standard practice, the new filler strip is wideenough to lie substantially half in the flap portion of a welt or thelike and substantially half in the base portion. These respective halvesare secured by cement or stitching to the welt covering fabric, core orother part of the welt. The longitudinal center line or approximatelythe center line of the ller strip coincides with the hinge line of thecovering fabric of the welt. In other words, in use in a welt thelongitudinal center line of the filler strip, indicated at 9 in Fig. 2,is the line on which the strip becomes folded, as shown in Fig. 3. Thisline is positioned along one edge of the finishing welt in which theller strip is incorporated, as shown in Fig. 4, and this edge may liealong the inside or the outside of a curve. Fig. 3 illustrates theaction of the slits when the strip becomes curved in either of the twodirections indicated by the arrows 4 in Fig. l.

When the direction of the curve is such that the slitted zone 6 liesalong the outside of the curve,

the slits expand, assuming the form of wedgeshaped openings. The centerline 9 of the filler strip is thus allowed to elongate, since it isincreased by the sum of the lengths of the bases of the wedge-shapedopenings. When the direction of the curve is reversed, so that theslitted zone 6 lies along the inside of the curve, as is also showninFig. 3, the material of the strip immediately adjacent one side of eachslit laps the material immediately adjacent the other side, so that thecenter line 9 becomes shortened to an extent equal to the sum of thelapped portions.

The slits are formed at intervals throughout the strip, preferably atregular intervals, and are sufciently close -together to render the sumsof elongating portions or contracting portions amply sufficient toaccommodate curves of the shortest radius which may Ibe encountered inany installation.

Fig. 4 illustrates the position of the ller strip in a finishing welt ofgenerally familiar type. In this welt'thecovering fabric I0 is folded onitself to provide a base portion Il and a flap portion l2. The iiap mayinclude a core i3, commonly of folded paper and sometimes stiffened by acord I4. A tack or nail I5 secures the base to a support I6, and afterthe securing operation is completed the flap is folded down intocovering relation with the base, as shown in the figure, the stiieningfilaments of the filler strip serving to hold the flap and base insubstantially engaged relation.

While the novel filler strip proposed by the invention may be associatedin divers ways, including known ways, with Welts of this and othertypes, there are special advantages in positioning the strip in thenovel way shown in Fig. 4. In this figure it will be observed that thefree edge margin of the covering fabric in the base portion of the weltis hemmed over, as shown at Il, at the free edge of the base portion,leaving a generous area of the base portion between the hem and thehinge line. The other free edge margin of the covering fabric issimilarly turned under and disposed beneath the free edge margin of theiiap portion, or the core thereof, as shown at i8, leaving a generousarea of flap portion between this turned-under zone and the hinge line.The areas I1 and i8 of the, covering fabric are secured, by cernentingor stitching, to the respective base and ap portions of the welt. Thefiller strip is similarly secured, half to the base portion and half tothe fiap portion, with its edges 8 abutting or approximately abuttingthe areas Il and I8. By this construction the filler strip becomes, ineffect, a sort of continuation or connection between the ends of thecovering fabric, and if the thickness of the ller strip is the same asthat of the covering fabric there is no variation in the thickness ofthe welt fabrics across any part of the welt.

It will be noted that inthe construction just explained the two adjacentplies of filler strip fabric are not separated by any interveningmaterial. This results in an important advantage, particularly along thehinge line of the welt, where the folded edge 9 of the filler strip isdisposed with its slits 5, because these slits are free to open up, orthe material adjacent them is free to lap over, if the welt be curved,without any interference or hindrance suchas would be interposed by anyintervening body.. By this 'sort'of construction the possibilitiesof'the new filler strip are most fully realizedlA Y. 'i

This welt construction is further improved if the covering fabric bemade of the material known as coach lace. This is a comparatively softand relatively loosely woven fabric which is -uncoated, being thusdistinguished from the doped fabrics or imitation leather. Coach laceand its equivalents are more stretchable and exible than doped fabricsbecause the component threads are more free to slide on each other andassume new relations accommodated to curved shapes. If the welt of Fig.4 be made of coach lace or its equivalent it will be foundthat the slitactions illustrated in Fig. 3 are very readily permitted because thethreads of the coach lace to which the filler strip material at themargins of the slits is secured are very free to move with the fillerstrip material. The resulting welt curvature is exceedingly smooth anduniform, being characterized by a notable lack of puckering, kinking andbunching.

Centrally pinked filler strips as proposed by this invention mayadvantageously be incorporated in welts different from that shown inFig. 4. It is believed that that type of welt well exemplifies themerits of the filler strip and the manner in which it improves thebending capacities of the complete trimming device, and it is for thisreason that the Fig. 4 welt has been selected to illustrate a preferreduse of the invention. Moreover, it is evident that the novel fillerstrip cooperates in a novel and inventive manner with the specificconstruction of the Fig. 4 welt, and therefore claims to the specificcombination are made hereinafter. It is to be understood, however, thatthe filler strip is useful in finishing strips and analogous devices ofother and different character, and that the inl vention may be modifiedin numerous respects, all such modifications, to the extent that theyincorporate the principles of the invention as pointed out in theappended claims, being within the scope and purview thereof.

What I claim is:

1. A filler strip for finishing welts and the like comprising anelongated, relatively narrow strip of textile material including aplurality of transverse lengths of Wire and longitudinal filamentsinterwoven with said wire, said filaments being continuous along bothside margins of the strip and broken into relatively short lengths inthe central zone of the strip.

2. A filler strip for finishing welts and the like comprising arelatively long and narrow sheet of uniform thickness from edge to edgeincluding a multiplicity of transverse stiffening strands, said sheetbeing characterized by cuts providing a plurality of longitudinallyspaced transversely directed slits in its central zone only.

3. A filler strip for finishing welts and the like comprising arelatively long, narrow and thin sheet of uniform thickness from edge toedge including a multiplicity of regularly spaced transverse stiffeningstrands, said sheet being characterized by cuts providing a plurality oflongitudinally spaced transversely directed slits in its central zoneonly, the opposite edges of the strip and the marginal portions adjacentthereto being unbroken.

4. A filler strip for finishing welts andthe like comprising arelatively longr and narrow sheet of filaments woven together, includingstiffening filaments having a component transverse of the.

strip and other filaments interwoven with the stiiening filaments andhaving a component longitudinal of the strip, the last named filamentsbeing broken at intervals throughout the central zone ,onlyA of thestrip by slits which terminate at .the longitudinal margins of thestrip.

tudinally directed sheet means bonded to the wireholding the same inposition and forming therewith a strip of uniform thickness from edge toedge, said longitudinally directed sheet means being characterized bycuts providing a plurality of spaced slits in the central zone only ofthe strip.

'7. A finishing welt of the blind nail type comprising a base portionadapted to be tacked to a support, a tack-concealing flap portion hingedto the base portion and adapted to be foldeddown thereupon, and a fillerstrip common to the flap and base portions and secured to both, being ofuniform thickness from edge to edge and having a plurality oftransversestiffening strands or filaments crossing the hinge line of thewelt and characterized by cuts providing a plurality of longitudinallyspaced transversely directed slits in its central zone only.

8. A finishing welt of the blind nail type comprising a covering fabricof relatively loosely woven material having a degree of stretchabilityand flexibility appreciably greater than doped or coated' fabrics, saidcovering fabric being folded on itself to provide a base portion'adapted to be tacked to a support and a tack-concealing flap portionhinged to the base portion and adapted to be folded down thereupon, anda single, integral ller strip of uniform thickness from edge to edgecommon to the flap and base portions and secured to both, having aplurality of transverse stiffening strands or filaments crossing thehinge line of the welt and characterized by cuts providing a pluralityof longitudinally spaced transversely directed slits in its central zoneonly.

9. A finishing welt of the blind nail type comprising a covering fabricfolded on itself to provide a base portion adapted to be tacked to asup- .port and a tack-concealing flap portion hinged to the base portionand adapted to be folded down upon the base portion, a flap core withinthe flap and having one marginal portion of the covering fabric securedto one margin of its under side,

the other marginal portion of the covering fabric being folded on itselfin the base portion to provide a hem at the free edge of the baseportion, and a single, integral filler strip extending continuously fromsubstantially, abutting relation to the free edge of one of saidmarginal portions to substantially abutting relation to the free edge ofthe other of said marginal portions and secured to the covering fabricin the base portion and to the under side of the flap core, having itscentral zone crossing the hinge line and having its portions immediatelyadjacent the hinge line devoid of interposed covering fabric material,said filler strip being of uniform thickness from edge to edgecharacterized by cuts providing a plurality of longitudinally spacedtransversely directed slits in its central zone only.

GLEN G. BARR.

